House of Commons Commission

High Speed 2 Line: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Grahame Morris: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of parliamentary scrutiny of sections of HS2 that have since been cancelled.

Sir Charles Walker: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Five Wells Prison: Education

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202800 on Prisons: Education, how many and what proportion of prison education classes in HMP Five Wells did not go ahead due to a lack of (a) teachers and (b) prison officers in each of the last two quarters.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202800 on Prisons: Education, how many and what proportion of prison education classes in HMP Garth did not go ahead due to a lack of (a) teachers and (b) prison officers in the last two quarters.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202800 on Prisons: Education, how many and what proportion of prison education classes in HMP Bristol did not go ahead due to a lack of (a) teachers and (b) prison officers in the last two quarters.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202800 on Prisons: Education, how many and what proportion of prison education classes in HMP Pentonville did not go ahead due to a lack of (a) teachers and (b) prison officers in the last two quarters.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202800 on Prisons: Education, how many and what proportion of prison education classes in HMP Ranby did not go ahead due to a lack of (a) teachers and (b) prison officers in the last two quarters.

Edward Argar: The information collected on performance against the education contract does not include the number of classes cancelled. The table below shows the number and proportion of planned learner places lost in each of the first two quarters of 2023-24 at HMP Five Wells, HMP Garth, HMP Bristol, HMP Pentonville and HMP Ranby owing to a lack of teachers (Ed), or for operational reasons (Op). Operational reasons include, but are not limited to, staffing shortages. Our improved Prisoner Education Service with specialist staff, tougher targets and increased focus on employment will be more effective at cutting crime and keeping the public safe. We have created a new Head of Education Skills and Work roles in every prison, working hand in glove with the Governor to provide tailored education plans to meet the needs of their jail.PrisonPlaces lost (Ed) Q1Places lost (Op) Q1Places lost (Ed) Q1 (%)Places lost (Op) Q1 (%)Places lost (Ed) Q2Places lost (Op) Q2Places lost (Ed) Q2 (%)Places lost (Op) Q2 (%)Bristol825812220552136Garth130968624368226Five Wells84374150000Pentonville238673154256723113Ranby036501604502

Sex Offender Treatment Programme

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 October 2023 to Question 201238, whether his Department has made an (a) impact assessment and (b) assessment of the potential implications for public safety of replacing the Interventions Services Accredited Programmes.

Edward Argar: There are no immediate plans to withdraw or cease delivery of Interventions Services’ current Accredited Programmes offer. A new Accredited Programmes offer is under development. The Next Generation of Accredited Programmes (Next-Gen AcPs) change programme includes a period of rigorous testing, data and feedback gathering, evaluation, and scrutiny that will be used to inform the continued development of the new offer. This testing will ensure that the Next-Gen AcPs is fit for purpose and aligned with the organisation’s commitments to reducing reoffending and protecting the public. Current timelines for the Next Generation of Accredited Programmes (Next-Gen AcPs) do not see withdrawal of the current offer and rollout of the proposed Next-Gen AcPs until Summer 2025 at the earliest, and not before it has received independent expert scrutiny and accreditation. The current Accredited Programmes offer will continue to be delivered across prisons and probation services while development and testing of the Next-Gen AcPs proceeds.

Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether individuals convicted of (a) terror, (b) sexual, (c) violent and (d) domestic abuse offences are eligible for early release under the End of Custody Supervised Licence.

Edward Argar: Only lower-level offenders serving a Standard Determinate Sentence and due for automatic release on licence at the half-way point will be considered for removal onto licence under these arrangements. More serious and higher risk offenders whose release is a matter for the Parole Board to assess will not be in scope. Those serving a sentence for any kind of sexual offence, terrorism-related offence or any violent offence with a sentence of more than four years will also automatically be ruled out. Offenders eligible for End of Custody Supervised Licence will be subject to strict licence conditions, as set out by the probation service in their release management plan.

Prisoners' Release

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the end of custody supervised licence scheme was introduced.

Edward Argar: End of Custody Supervised Licence was first implemented on 17 October 2023.

Prisoners' Release

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released early under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme in each prison since 16 October 2023.

Edward Argar: As the Lord Chancellor set out in his statement of 16 October, End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL), first implemented on 17 October 2023, uses s248 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to remove onto licence some prisoners up to 18 days in advance of their automatic release date. Its use is targeted, and it will only operate in certain areas for a limited period of time. Data on Prison releases are routinely published as part of the Offender Management Quarterly Statistics, the latest available data goes to June 2023. The number of releases under s248 is not included in this publication but we are currently reviewing what statistics we routinely publish

Prisoners' Release

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a list of prisons that have been authorised to release prisoners before the end of their sentence under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme.

Edward Argar: End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL), first implemented on 17 October 2023, is operating in 21 prisons and is a temporary measure in response to the current pressure on some prisons. Its use is targeted, and it will only operate in certain areas for a limited period of time. The Government regularly releases data and information in relation to prisoners’ release in the Prison Releases (quarterly) publication. We are currently reviewing our publication of data around these issues.

Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department (a) publishes and (b) plans to publish on the End of Custody Supervised Licence.

Edward Argar: Guidance on End of Custody Supervised Licence has been issued to operational staff and partners who need the information in order to implement it effectively. There are no plans to publish the guidance.

Prisons: Sanitation

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons have a prison cell that does not contain a toilet.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison cells do not contain a toilet.

Edward Argar: All prisoners in normal accommodation have 24-hour access to sanitation. This is achieved in a number of ways across the prison estate. The most common method of providing access to toilet and washing facilities are in-cell. However, in some prisons, it has proved impossible or impractical to fit in-cell sanitation in some cells. The table provided below details the number of cells which, as of 20th October 2023, provide 24-hour access to sanitation by other means. These broadly fall into two categories.In some parts of the Open and Women’s Estate, open access to shared facilities is available in certain parts of the prison. This open access is also available behind locked spurs with unlocked cells in certain Category C Male prisons. In the table below, these cells are listed as “Communal Access” and can currently be found in 29 prisons (11 open prisons, 11 training prisons, five women’s prisons and two reception prisons) across the estate.Meanwhile, 21 prisons have some cells that provide access to facilities via an electronic unlocking system, whereby prisoners are able to request access via an in-cell call bell. This allows the cell door to be opened remotely for a limited period of time to allow access to shared facilities on the wing. In the table below, these cells are listed as “Controlled Unlock”. For those with small numbers of controlled unlock cells, these are likely to relate to specialist accommodation (e.g. constant watch cells).PrisonCommunal AccessControlled unlockLEYHILL (HMP)5050THE VERNE (HMP)5050SUDBURY (HMP & YOI)3940STANDFORD HILL (HMP)3840WYMOTT (HMP)3840HOLLESLEY BAY (HMP)3620THORN CROSS (HMPYOI)3420LINDHOLME (HMP)2960DRAKE HALL (HMP & YOI)2870FORD (HMP)2680HATFIELD (HMP & YOI)2420SPRING HILL (HMP)2010MORTON HALL (HMP)1930NORTH SEA CAMP (HMP)1540KIRKLEVINGTON GRANGE (HMP)1430STYAL (HMP & YOI)1360HIGHPOINT (HMP)1170ASKHAM GRANGE (HMP & YOI)790WAYLAND (HMP)761CHANNINGS WOOD (HMP)740WINCHESTER (HMP)660EXETER (HMP)561THE MOUNT (HMP)440EAST SUTTON PARK (HMP & YOI)380FEATHERSTONE (HMP)350NORWICH (HMP & YOI)221SEND (HMP)100COLDINGLEY (HMP)5360NORTHUMBERLAND (HMP)40ISLE OF WIGHT (HMP)0476LONG LARTIN (HMP)0307GRENDON (HMP)0227BRISTOL (HMP)099FRANKLAND (HMP)04DURHAM (HMP)02HEWELL (HMP)02HIGH DOWN (HMP)02OAKWOOD (HMP)02WEALSTUN (HMP)01TOTAL 54221485

Prisons: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Question 9 of oral evidence taken before the Justice Committee on 24 October 2023, HC 1929, Session 2022–23, what the (a) leaving and (b) vacancy rates were of (i) prison officers and (ii) operational support staff, by prison, in the latest period for which information is available.

Edward Argar: The leaving rates and indicative vacancy rates by prison of Band 3-5 Prison Officers and Operational Support Grade staff are provided in the accompanying Excel files. Despite a challenging labour market, we have seen some indications of an improving resource picture nationally within prisons, with a substantial increase of 701 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Band 3-5 Prison officers between June 2022 to June 2023. In the same period, we have seen a fall in the resignation rate amongst Band 3-5 officers of 2.6 percentage points, down from 11.5% in June 2022 to 8.9% as of June 2023 and a fall in the leaving rate* amongst band 3-5 officers of 1.9 percentage points, down from 15.3% in June 2022 to 13.4% as of June 2023. The data on indicative vacancy rates are internal management information. Target Staffing levels cannot be used to directly calculate vacancies due to the discretion governors have to change establishment level staffing requirements through Governors' Freedoms. As a result, the MoJ does not regularly present vacancy data and the data presented should be treated with caution. We are considering options to publish vacancy data alongside wider Workforce data and future publications may take different forms. The data are provided from internal Workforce Planning Tools, a manual prison return and therefore subject to human error. Further caveats on the data and handling guidance is set out in the attached spreadsheet. Where prisons are showing FTEs below their Target Staffing level, these are routinely supplemented (e.g. by using Payment Plus, a form of overtime) which is not accounted for in the indicative vacancy data provided. Use of detached duty (DD), a long-standing mechanism to deploy staff from one prison or region to support another, is also not reflected in the data. At times, we have intentionally over-recruited in certain prisons or regions as this gives the greater system wide resilience (including through the use of DD). *Leaving rates refer to leavers who have left HMPPS, for all reasons for leaving excluding voluntary early departure or redundancy and relates to permanent staff only. Leaving rates do not include staff who have moved internally within MoJ or have been promoted or moved to non-Prison Officer roles. Resignation rates refers only to leavers who have Resignation as a reason for leaving.  Table (xlsx, 22.5KB)Table (xlsx, 20.5KB)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Myanmar: Arms Trade

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release of 31 October 2023 entitled UK and international partners target Myanmar arms dealers and military financiers with new sanctions, whether his Department has made an assessment of potential further steps it can take to hold the authorities in Myanmar to account.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is considering a range of further sanctions targets, and other measures, to hold the Myanmar regime and its associates to account. Since the start of the coup, the UK has imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and 29 entities, most recently in October 2023 in coordination with the US and Canada. It is vital that any sanctions imposed have the desired effect of denying the regime credibility and reducing their access to finance, arms and equipment, without harming the wider population of Myanmar.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: EUFOR

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he had discussions with his counterparts in the EU on the UK rejoining the EUFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina before it was renewed on 2 November 2023.

Leo Docherty: The former Foreign Secretary spoke regularly with his EU counterparts about European security, including peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). While the UK has not sought to re-join European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) Operation Althea, we recognise EUFOR's vital importance to BiH's peace and security, and worked closely with international partners to secure the renewal of its mandate in the UN Security Council. We continue to support security and stability in BiH through our bilateral contributions, including support to the BiH Armed Forces. Personnel from the First Royal Anglian are currently in BiH, training with their Bosnian counterparts.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people who are eligible for resettlement under pathway three of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; what steps he is taking to contact outstanding individuals assessed as being eligible in principle; and if he will reopen the process for Expressions of Interest from other eligible individuals.

Leo Docherty: Under the first stage of ACRS Pathway 3 the FCDO received over 11,450 expressions of interest (EOIs). Each has been assessed against the eligibility criteria and the FCDO has communicated an outcome to all individuals who expressed an interest. We have informed over 380 individuals that they are eligible in principle for resettlement, subject to passing security checks. With their dependents, we have notified over 1800 individuals that they are eligible in principle.We have no plans to reopen the EOI window for the first stage of ACRS Pathway 3. In the second stage of Pathway 3, the UK government will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk. We are not able to open for referrals at this present time. Our immediate focus is ensuring the resettlement of those eligible in the first stage of Pathway 3, which includes individuals who directly supported the UK and international community's efforts in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Public Sector

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the delivery of public services in Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: The UK continues to be able to support the delivery of public services in Afghanistan, despite the challenging context. Through our Supporting Afghanistan's Basic Services programme, our NGO partners have delivered services in health, education and livelihoods. Through the World Bank's Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF), the FCDO contributed to supporting 135,680 children (92,262 girls) to access education between September 2022 and May 2023. We work with key international partners to understand the status of the delivery of public services, for example through the World Bank's regular economic monitoring and welfare surveys.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Pakistan following the announcement of the return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: The UK is monitoring the Government of Pakistan's policy on the deportation of undocumented migrants, recognising that every country has the sovereign right to manage their borders. The former Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, discussed this with Caretaker Prime Minister Kakar and Caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani and received assurances towards the safety of Afghans who are eligible for UK resettlement under the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) and ACRS (Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme) schemes. We encourage Pakistan to adhere to its international human rights obligations and provide opportunities for refugees to register for asylum. The UK has committed £16 million to the International Organization for Migration in Afghanistan to support undocumented returnees.

Eritrea and Ethiopia: Visas

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assist Eritrean nationals with valid UK visas residing in Ethiopia to obtain exit permits.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: HMG are working alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with the Federal Government of Ethiopia, and have agreed a process to issue Exit Visas for Eritreans who hold visas for the United Kingdom. HMG is now working with the ICRC to process outstanding cases and enable them to travel to the United Kingdom as soon as their exit visas are granted.

Sudan: International Law

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support (a) evidence-gathering, (b) accountability and (c) international justice processes in relation to allegations of breaches of international law in (i) the Ardamata area of El Geneina and (ii) in other areas of Sudan since 1 November 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK condemns in the strongest terms increasing reports of atrocities being committed across Sudan, particularly in Darfur, and remains committed to ensuring those responsible for these heinous crimes are held to account. We are supporting the essential work of the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating and documenting the atrocities taking place in Sudan. The UK is funding the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body which is gathering open-source evidence about the ongoing fighting in Sudan; this financial year, we have provided £600,000 to CIR's Sudan Witness Project. The UK also initiated, alongside Germany, US and Norway, a resolution to establish an independent Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan; a resolution that was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in October. This will support future accountability efforts in Sudan, including in relation to Darfur.

USA: Sanctions

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on the sanctioning of (a) Ali Karti and (b) Aviatrade LLC.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We continue to work closely with our international partners in addressing the conflict and dire humanitarian situation in Sudan. Most recently, on 3 November, the Minister for Development and Africa called on Sudan's warring parties to protect civilians, de-escalate fighting in El Fasher, refrain from ethnically-targeted violence, and focus on negotiating an end to the conflict, following a similar statement from the US Government. We remain open to considering further sanctions in continuing efforts to press the parties to engage in a sustained and meaningful peace process, ensure humanitarian access, and commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities. The UK Government does not speculate on future designations; to do so could reduce their impact.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Visits Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's publication of ministerial travel data for April to June 2023, how much of the published £38,555.99 cost of his trip to Japan, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Indonesia from 15 to 22 April was made up of his (a) share of the £561,531.04 cost of the flights for that trip, (b) accommodation and (c) meals and other expenses.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: USA

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's publication of ministerial travel data for April to June 2023, how much of the published £12,149.46 cost of his trip to Washington DC from 17 to 19 January was made up of his (a) share of the £178,761.86 cost of the flights for that trip, (b) accommodation and (c) meals and other expenses.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: India

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's publication of ministerial travel data for April to June 2023, how much of the published £12,852.44 cost of his trip to New Delhi from 28 February to 3 March was made up of his (a) share of the £157,888.17 cost of the flights for that trip, (b) accommodation and (c) meals and other expenses.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Older People

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many midlife MOTs have been completed between 1 January and 7 November 2023.

Jo Churchill: Since the launch of the Midlife MOT in 2019, we have reached people through multiple channels to help them take stock of their finances, skills and health, and plan for their later life. The Midlife MOT within Jobcentres was rolled out from the end of January 2023. Up until 30th September 2023, around 5,300 Universal Credit claimants aged 50 or over have attended a Midlife MOT within Jobcentres. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution. Data up to 30th September is the latest data available. The Private Sector Midlife MOT pilots were introduced by three providers, across three geographical locations, in May 2023. Quality assured data on the number of people who have attended a Private Sector Midlife MOT is not available.An enhanced digital Midlife MOT offer went live on 5th July 2023. The website is open to all, and between 5th July and 7th November 2023, there were around 15,000 sessions consisting of 10,200 unique users who had accessed the new site. Please note, these figures only include users who accepted website analytics tracking.

Employment: Older People

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many returnerships have been created as of 7 November 2023.

Jo Churchill: DWP does not record this data as the Returnerships offer is an initiative that brings together existing skills interventions to the over-50s. The skills interventions promoted through the Returnerships offer are accelerated apprenticeships, Sector-Based Work Academy Programme placements and Skills Bootcamps. This will support better access to re-training and allow workers of all ages to engage with the opportunities of a second career.

Sector-Based Work Academy Programme

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sector-based work academy programme starts have taken place as of 7 November 2023.

Jo Churchill: Sector-based work academies were first launched in August 2011 in England and January 2012 in Scotland. Regular statistical releases on sector-based work academies, covering participation by those on legacy unemployment benefits, began in 2011 and ended in 2017. These statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employment-schemes-work-experience-sector-based-work-academy-and-skills-conditionality-starts-to-november-2017 The scheme was relaunched as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in July 2020 as part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs. Due to data limitations, we are unable to provide a geographical breakdown for SWAPs that took place before the start of the 2021/22 financial year. Data for the financial years 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 shows that, as of 27th October 2023, there were a total of 245,300 starts to a Sector-based Work Academy Programme. The breakdowns of these starts are provided in the attached tables. Notes on the data:Attached are tables listing the number of SWAP starts to date by Country, Region, Local Authority, Parliamentary Constituency, Sector and Age band. The figures used are correct as of 27th October 2023 and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards. These figures reflect the number of starts by claimants in receipt of Universal Credit (UC), Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support (IS). It is important to note that the information provided shows the current home location of the person who has started a SWAP. For starts by those in receipt of JSA, ESA or IS, due to data limitations a location cannot be assigned to these starts and as such they are categorised as unknown within the figures. SWAPs are run in England and Scotland, where a person’s current home location is outside of this they have also been categorised as unknown. Although care is taken when processing and recording SWAP starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any clerical recording system, but is provided in the interests of transparency.Attachment (xlsx, 59.0KB)

Universal Credit: Armed Forces

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 12 July 2023 to Question 193037 on Universal Credit: Armed Forces, how many Universal Credit claimants have been identified as (a) serving and (b) having served in the armed forces by local authority area for the most recent assessment period.

Jo Churchill: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone. Data coverage continues to improve over time and by September 2023 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 67% of the GB UC caseload (see table below). It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past. Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far. The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the overall number or proportion of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past. The separate spreadsheet shows how many claimants on the September 2023 UC caseload had a recorded armed forces status of each type, broken down by Local Authority. Spreadsheet Notes:1. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland. The figures provided only relate to Great Britain.2. Figures in the table have been rounded according to the Department’s Official Statistics rounding policy.3. In line with the latest published People on UC official statistics, provisional figures relating to September 2023 are provided and may be subject to retrospective changes as more up-to-date data becomes available or if methodological improvements are made.4. Due to methodological improvements, these figures are based on the Official Statistics UC caseload definition. Some answers to previous PQs asking for similar information have used an alternative caseload definition based on assessment period end dates.5. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/PQ 622 (xlsx, 36.2KB)

Young People: Employment

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many specialist Disability Employment Advisers are employed in youth hubs to support participants with a health condition.

Tom Pursglove: ActivityABM FTE(UCJC) Disability Employment Adviser750 Source: Derived from the department’s Activity Based Model (ABM). Data is correct as of the end of October 2023 and has been rounded to the nearest 10.For the purposes of answering this question the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) activity has been used.DEAs support Work Coaches and Jobcentre colleagues in situations where claimants present with complex employment circumstances involving health and disability issues. Support to Work Coaches include upskilling, case conferencing and facilitating three-way conversations with claimants.DEAs are not based in Youth Hubs but support Youth Hub Work Coaches and Youth Employability Coaches.Figures were derived from the department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides full time equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by line managers. They cover only FTE staff with paid employment. No overtime FTE is included.The number of DEA Work Coaches is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As the department holds the information, we have released it.

Cohabitation: Pensions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of a bereaved unmarried couple's ability to access a deceased partner’s workplace pension following a separation on grounds of domestic abuse.

Paul Maynard: The Department has recently looked at cohabiting couples’ rights in relation to their deceased partner’s occupational pension more widely, in response to recommendation 5 of the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s Second Report into Cohabiting Couples. Our assessment was published on pages 5 and 6 of The rights of cohabiting partners: Government response to the Committee’s Second Report (parliament.uk) on 1st November 2022. A Letter from the Minister for Pensions on the rights of cohabiting partners to the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, published on 18th July this year outlined my Department’s most recent work in this area.

Pensioners: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of inflation on pensioners in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Paul Maynard: No such assessment has been made of the impact of inflation on pensioners in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London. The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills. This includes 8.7m pensioner households who received a £300 Cost of Living Payment last winter as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment. Pensioners will also receive a further £300 additional payment later this year in their Winter Fuel Payment. In April, the State Pension saw its biggest ever rise, increasing by 10.1%. The full yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be over £3,050 higher, in cash terms, than in 2010. That’s £790 more than if it had been uprated by Prices, and £945 more than if it had been uprated by earnings (since 2010).

Pensioners: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide additional funding to help support pensioners with the cost of living in Northern Ireland.

Paul Maynard: Support for pensioners is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland and the responsibility of the Department for Communities. However, in the absence of a fully functioning Northern Ireland Assembly, the UK Government has taken decisive action to ensure that the means tested and disability Cost of Living payments are made to households in Northern Ireland on exactly the same terms as the rest of the UK.

Cohabitation: Pensions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of accessibility of information on a deceased partner’s pension for unmarried couples where the couple had (a) remained together and (b) recently separated prior to the death of the partner.

Paul Maynard: There has been no recent assessment of the accessibility of information on a deceased partner’s State Pension for unmarried couples, where the couple had either remained together or recently separated prior to the death of the partner. Private pensions rights to survivor benefits in private occupational pensions are many and varied, and will depend on factors such as scheme rules, and choices made by the scheme member. General information on survivor benefits for unmarried couples is available from Money Helper and delivered by the Money and Pensions Service: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en

Universal Credit: Refugees

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what provision his Department makes for Winter Fuel Payments in cases where Ukrainian refugees receiving Universal Credit payments are not paying bills in the homes of their host families.

Paul Maynard: Winter fuel payments are an age-related payment payable this winter to all people who have reached State Pension age on or before 24 September 1957 and who are ordinarily resident in the UK, including Ukrainian refugees. There is no need to be in receipt of a social security benefit in order to qualify. Winter fuel payments are made on a household basis. If there is more than one eligible person in a household, the payment will be divided between them. The sharing of bills is a matter for the house owner and any guests they may be hosting. The Government understands the cost-of-living pressures people are currently facing which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with their bills. Pensioners who are entitled to a winter fuel payment this winter will receive a pensioner Cost of Living Payment of £300 per household paid with their normal payment, meaning over 8 million pensioner households across the UK will receive an increased winter fuel payment of £500/£600 depending on age. Over 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits will receive additional Cost of Living Payments totalling up to £900 in the 2023/24 financial year and over 6 million individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will have received a £150 payment to help with the additional costs they face.

Job Centres: Staff

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches have left their roles in each month since November 2021.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs, as to provide a reply would require us to link together several complex datasets and to quality assure the results.

Allied Steel And Wire: Pensions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last met with former Allied Steel and Wire employees to discuss their pensions campaign.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State has not met with the former Allied Steel and Wire employees to discuss their pension campaign. However, the former Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion, Guy Opperman, met with members of the Allied Steel and Wire pension scheme on 16 June 2021 to discuss their financial assistance payment.

Pension Credit

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for pension credit were received in the financial years (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

Paul Maynard: The number of applications for Pension Credit that were received for each of the financial years April 2020 to March 2023 is shown in the table below: Financial Year Pension Credit Applications Received2020/21 (CAM)144,1252021/22 (CAM)149,0552022/23 (CAM)269,8352022/23 (AfPC)2,0162022/23 Total (CAM & AfPC)271,851 Source of Data: Customer Account Management (CAM) System and Apply for Pension Credit (AfPC) System (introduced from January 2023).

Universal Credit

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of working Universal Credit recipients who received an incorrect payment as a result of an incorrect employer's real time information submission to HM Revenue and Customs in the latest month for which data is available.

Jo Churchill: Legislation provides for the use of RTI in the calculation of UC entitlements. That system is working well and providing accurate information but where a claimant thinks the information provided by their employer to HMRC is wrong they are asked to raise a dispute with HMRC for them to investigate. Over the last 12 months 99.8% of RTI returns by employers to support UC claims were found to be correct. For the 0.2% of cases, where employers adjust their returns, we endeavour to correct UC entitlements as soon as possible.

Ministry of Defence

Clyde Naval Base

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the status of the shiplift facility at HM Naval Base Clyde.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have been reported to (i) the Royal Military Police and (ii) civilian police forces by Armed Forces personnel serving at Army colleges in each of the last 5 years.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have been reported to (i) the Royal Military Police and (ii) civilian police forces by Armed Forces personnel serving at Royal Navy colleges in the UK in each of the last five years.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have been reported to (i) the Royal Military Police and (ii) civilian police forces by Armed Forces personnel serving at RAF colleges in the UK in each of the last five years.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have been investigated by the (i) the Royal Military Police and (ii) a civilian police forces in relation to reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Army colleges.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have been investigated by the (i) the Royal Military Police and (ii) civilian police forces in connection with reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Royal Navy colleges in the UK.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have been investigated by the (i) the Royal Military Police and (ii) civilian police forces in connection with reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at RAF colleges in the UK.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Statistical information on Murder, Manslaughter, Sexual Offences and Domestic Abuse in the Service Justice System is published by the Department on gov.uk. However, further detail is not held centrally and the answers to these questions could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Royal Military Police are the Service Police for the Army. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have their own Service Police. The Defence Serious Crime Unit, formed in December 2022, has the jurisdiction to investigate the most serious and complex crimes alleged to have been committed by persons subject to service law in both the UK and overseas, including sexual offences, domestic abuse and offences of violence. While some information is held by the single Services on crimes reported to and investigated by the Civilian Police, the information recorded is based on that provided by or obtained from the Civilian Police or the subject, therefore the Department is unable to provide official data in this respect. “Sexual harassment” is not an offence under civil or Armed Forces law, however Defence has made it clear there is zero tolerance to any form of unacceptable sexual behaviour. Under the MOD’s Zero Tolerance Part One (Sexual Offences and Instructor/Trainee Relations) policy, for all Service persons who are convicted of a sexual offence, or who are placed on the Sex Offenders Register there is a mandatory presumption of discharge from the Armed Forces. Similarly, for Zero Tolerance Part Two (Unacceptable Sexual Behaviour – A Victim/Survivor Focused Approach), there is a presumption of discharge for those found in breach of this policy.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applicants are assigned to each caseworker for the ARAP Scheme.

James Heappey: Caseworkers are tasked according to operational priorities. The number of applicants per caseworker is therefore variable.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of 19 September 2023 on Resettlement of Afghans, Official Report, column 1253, how many people from Afghanistan have waited more than two years for their ARAP applications to be processed; for what reason processing those applications has taken that long; and how many people from Afghanistan were awaiting a decision on their application as of 19 October 2023.

James Heappey: Of the ARAP applications submitted on or before 20 October 2021, 349 are pending a decision. The MOD has prioritised finding ARAP applications from those we know to be eligible having worked for, or alongside the UK forces in support of our mission in Afghanistan. Of those cases that pre-date Op PITTING, in the past two weeks, we have reduced these from 131 cases to just 80 at the time of writing. These 80 cases are now particularly complex and fall broadly into three categories: cases that are likely ineligible, cases delayed as a consequence of misconduct, and cases whereby applicants are already safely in a third country. Overall, we have received more than 95,000 unique applications to the scheme, and have approximately 2,000 pending a decision – a figure which includes new applications we are still receiving. We are diligently combing through our records, searching for every eligible applicant and will leave no stone unturned.

General Dynamics Land Systems: Ajax Vehicles

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates the Minister for Defence Procurement has met management of General Dynamics Land Systems to discuss the AJAX project since 21 April 2023.

James Cartlidge: Since being appointed I have engaged extensively with the UK defence sector, and I will be visiting the General Dynamics UK site in Merthyr Tydfil in the near future.

Air Force: Training

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what were the three significant, related events which affected Tutor aircrafts in the last eight months; and whether any injuries were sustained in these events.

James Cartlidge: To ensure I can provide as much detail as possible, I will write to the hon. Member with the detail requested once it has been collated. A copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

UK Steel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates the Minister for Defence Procurement has met representatives from UK Steel since his appointment on 21 April 2023.

James Cartlidge: Steel procurement for Defence manufacture in the UK is primarily driven by primes and other companies in the supply chain. Since being appointed I have engaged extensively with the UK defence sector, including both primes and SMEs, and this has included discussions on a wide range of issues specifically including steel procurement.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Table 1 of his Department's MOD trade industry and contracts data tables 2023, published on 28 September 2023, for what reasons there was a £24 million in-year change to the cost to completion of the AJAX programme.

James Cartlidge: The AJAX PPST22 In-Year variance of +£24 million was due to Defence Infrastructure cost increases at the Bovington, Lulworth and Kirkcudbright facilities.

Type 26 Frigates

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the Type 26 Frigates project meets its in-service date.

James Cartlidge: BAE Systems are investing in facilities at the Govan yard and work has begun on a new Shipbuilding Hall which will improve the pace of delivery by allowing two frigates to be built simultaneously under cover. Work to create a new Applied Shipbuilding Academy is underway and other improvements to streamline production processes have been made, including improving digital ways of working.

Type 26 Frigates: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Table 1 of his Department's MOD trade industry and contracts: 2023, published on 28 September 2023, for what reasons there was a £259 million in-year change to the cost to completion of the Type 26 Frigates project.

James Cartlidge: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided on 14 December 2022 to Question 106333 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey).Type 26 Frigates: Procurement (docx, 14.7KB)

Defence: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the letter from the Minister for Defence Procurement to the Rt hon. Member for Wentworth and Deane dated 12 October 2023, reference 188829, whether his Department has completed its review of the information it provides to parliamentarians and the general public.

James Cartlidge: The review is complete and a substantive response to the right hon. Member’s Question 188829 was provided on 13 November 2023. A copy of my letter was placed in the Library of the House.Royal Navy Days at sea follow up letter 188829 (pdf, 100.8KB)Royal Navy Days at sea annex A to 188829 (pdf, 109.5KB)

Royal Air Force: Military Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of acquiring ultra low-cost air vehicles for the Royal Air Force on levels of (a) capability and (b) force mass.

James Cartlidge: We are considering the opportunities presented by such systems across all of our domains, which includes understanding the balance of cost and capability levels to inform our future mix of capabilities. We will be publishing an Uncrewed Systems Strategy in the coming months.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Autonomous Collaborative Platforms strategy.

James Cartlidge: We are considering the opportunities presented by such systems across all of our domains, which includes understanding the balance of cost and capability levels to inform our future mix of capabilities. We will be publishing an Uncrewed Systems Strategy in the coming months.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the Mechanised Infantry Vehicles project meets its in-service date.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence takes active measures to ensure that projects deliver on-time and meet their in-service date. For the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle, the Army and Defence Equipment and Support engage frequently with industry and our OCCAR partners through which we procure the vehicle. Those engagements include a rigorous Holding to Account process at all levels. The programme deliberately selected Boxer as a proven Off-The-Shelf capability already in-service with allies to de-risk delivery. Training and support planning has started early through support of our international allies who have Boxer, and lessons from other programmes are being dynamically incorporated. Boxer currently remains on track to meet its IOC in 2025 within the full programme schedule, which included provision for risks and delays. We continue to keep progress against the schedule under review.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been accepted under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.

James Heappey: Since 1 April 2023, a total of 372 Principal applicants have been found eligible for relocation under the ARAP scheme.I should note that the ARAP scheme is an application-based scheme offering support and assistance to those who worked for or alongside the UK in Afghanistan. It is not intended as a relocation scheme for refugees.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been rejected under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.

James Heappey: Since 1 April 2023, a total of 67,338 ARAP applications have been found ineligible.ARAP was always intended to be a relocation scheme specifically for those who served in the employ of the British military (in all but a very narrow number of cases), or in support of wider UK national security objectives, as set out in the specific eligibility criteria in the ARAP policy.A finite number of Afghans are therefore eligible for ARAP and The Ministry of Defence are prioritising finding and relocating those who we know are eligible.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is planned timetable is for the E-7 Wedgetail programme to enable the UK to contribute to NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control operations.

James Cartlidge: The E-7 Wedgetail will be available for NATO operations from its In-Service date with RAF crews having been trained and embedded within the Royal Australian Air Force Wedgetail Programme. UK personnel remain part of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&C F) Headquarters.

Shipbuilding: Competition

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to support UK shipyards to be competitive against foreign state-owned shipyards when bidding for work through the 30-year pipeline.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him on 27 March to Question 172473 to the former Member for Somerset and Frome (David Warburton).Since that answer, the Department for Business and Trade launched the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme on 26 July 2023 to provide vital support to improve the competitiveness of UK shipyards. Under the scheme, the Government will provide a significant guarantee to lenders making a loan to a ship-buyer or operator so that new vessels or refits and retrofits of existing vessels can be procured from UK shipyards.Shipbuilding (docx, 25.6KB)

Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of imported steel in defence procurement.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) on 13 September 2023 to Question number 198306.Ministry of Defence Procurement (docx, 15.1KB)

Defence: Iron and Steel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the UK steel industry in defence procurement.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will sign the UK Steel Charter.

James Cartlidge: While the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not signed the UK Steel Charter, it complies with Government policy on steel procurement which is aimed at removing barriers to UK steel producers competing effectively in an open market. This includes, for example, publishing our upcoming steel requirements in the Government’s steel pipeline. The main Defence requirements for steel are sourced by our prime contractors but MOD encourages them to source UK steel for defence projects wherever is it technically and commercially feasible.

Home Office

Members: Correspondence

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Hove, reference MPAM/1005482/23, what the technical issue is that is delaying his constituent being issued with an accurate biometric residence permit card; and whether this technical issue has affected any other applications made to her Department.

Robert Jenrick: There has been a technical issue with this case matching the applicant’s biometric information with the production of the Biometric Residence Permit. This incident has now been resolved, and a new BRP will be issued shortly.

Anti-social Behaviour: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent trends in reported incidents of anti-social behaviour in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Chris Philp: On 27 March, the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan giving the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.The Office for National Statistics is now annually publishing anti-social behaviour incidents reported to the police broken down by Community Safety Partnership (CSP). The CSP breakdown was published for the first time in July 2023, and the latest available data covers year to March 2023, which can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/recordedcrimedatabycommunitysafetypartnershiparea

Speed Limits: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of (a) enforcement and (b) deterrent measures aimed at ensuring compliance with speed limits through the towns and villages of Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Chris Philp: Enforcement of speed limits is an operational matter for local Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.Local authorities have the flexibility to make their own decisions about the design of their streets including any speed deterrent measures.

Police: Finance

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) equity of the police allocation formula for Bedfordshire.

Chris Philp: The government recognises that the current police funding formula is out of date and no longer accurately reflects demand on policing.A review of the funding formula is underway to ensure that it fairly and transparently distributes the circa £8.6bn of annual core grant funding across the 43 police forces in England and Wales, including Bedfordshire.We are working towards completing the first phase of the review and are considering the demands facing each police force and the relative impact of local factors on forces. We have engaged closely with the policing sector throughout the review, and this work continues.

Police

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the visibility of police (a) across the country and (b) in the rural villages of the Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Chris Philp: Improving visibility of policing in a targeted way should be a priority for all forces. That is why the former Home Secretary and I wrote to all Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners in August 2023, asking them to set out their plans to increase visibility and confidence in local policing and share the results of this by March 2024.Policing is operationally independent of government and decisions about the deployment and activities of officers, including in neighbourhood policing roles, are for operationally independent Chief Constables. They are best placed to use their local knowledge and experience to serve local needs.Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for setting strategic policing objectives and for holding Chief Constables to account for their running of the force to ensure the public receives the high-quality policing they are entitled to expect.

Burglary: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to reduce the rate of burglaries in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Chris Philp: Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows a 57% per cent fall in domestic burglaries when comparing the year ending June 2023 with year ending June 2010; representing a fall from 917,000 to 394,000 incidents. This is clearly good news; however, we recognise the significant impact invasive crimes such as domestic burglary can have on individuals and the wider community, and we are committed to tackling and preventing these crimes.Through Round Five of the Safer Streets Fund, we have allocated £42 million to support a range of crime prevention interventions, including additional CCTV and improved street lighting and physical security of properties.The public want to know the police will visit them when a home burglary has been committed, which is why we welcome the announcement made by the National Police Chiefs’ Council on the 8 June that all 43 police forces in England and Wales have been implementing this policy since March. We are working with police leaders to ensure forces are making their attendance data available to the public. https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-now-attending-scene-of-every-home-burglaryThe police commitment to attend home burglaries is supported by specific College of Policing good practice guidance on conducting residential burglary investigations. https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/residential-burglary Setting the standard in respect of the initial response and the subsequent investigation, the guidance sits alongside the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice on Investigations.As part of this back-to-basics approach, police forces across England and Wales have committed to pursue all lines of enquiry where there is a reasonable chance it could lead them to catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. This commitment, announced on 28 August, has been worked up and agreed by the Home Office, in tandem with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pursuing-all-reasonable-lines-of-enquiry-letter-to-police-leaders/pursuing-all-reasonable-lines-of-enquiry-letter-to-police-leadersFurthermore, we are clear there is an expectation that forces work with partners across the justice system to see more criminals charged and prosecuted.To help ensure the police have the resources they need to fight crime and tackle anti-social behaviour, we have delivered on our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers by the end of March this year. As of 31 March, a total of 20,947 additional officers had been recruited across England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme (PUP), raising the number of police officers in England and Wales to 149,566, the highest number on record since comparable records began. As a result of the PUP, as at 31 March 2023 Bedfordshire had a headcount of 1,455 police officers, a 15.0% increase on its pre-PUP peak of 1,265 police officers in March 2010.

Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government Procurement Card Transparency release on Home Office Spend over £500, updated 23 February 2023, how many animals were involved in transaction number 109-UKBE - UK Borders & Enforcement-600.

Chris Philp: The Home Office can confirm 30 animals were involved in the transaction number.

Greater Manchester Police: Employment

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have served in the Greater Manchester Police force on average in each year since 2008.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police force workforce in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area, on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesThese data are collected as a snapshot as at 31 March and 30 September of each year. The Home Office do not collect the average number of police officers serving each year.Information on the number of police officers in Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as at 31 March each year, from 2007 to 2023, on a full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount basis, can be found in the ‘Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172892/open-data-table-police-workforce-260723.ods

Fire and Rescue Services: Cancer

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) firefighters and (b) retired firefighters diagnosed with cancer as a result of their work.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on support for (a) current and (b) former firefighters diagnosed with cancer as a result of their work.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide compensation for firefighters diagnosed with cancer as a result of their occupation.

Chris Philp: The health and safety of firefighters is of paramount importance and emerging research indicating that firefighters are being exposed to an increased risk of cancer is concerning.Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for the health and safety of firefighters and they should be mindful of this emerging research.I have commissioned a literature review of published studies to understand their conclusions and determine next steps and I am engaging with the Department for Health and Social Care to explore these issues.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Women

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in his Department are women.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office has no civil servants on temporary contracts.

Scotland Office: Women

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in his Department are women.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office has only one SCS2 post which is not currently held by a woman.

Department for Education

Vocational Education

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to priority 21 of Strategic Guidance to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, published in March 2023, what the progress the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has made on identifying occupational routes that have low, or no relevant level 4-5 standards.

Robert Halfon: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked its Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston, and a copy of this reply will be placed in the libraries of both Houses.

STEM Subjects: New Businesses

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to produce a strategy on increasing entrepreneurship among STEM higher education students.

Robert Halfon: The Government has established a supportive framework to empower universities in equipping students with the essential skills required for success.The department is investing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels to ensure students have access to high-quality STEM teaching and STEM career opportunities. The department is investing approximately £750 million of additional funding over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 in high-quality teaching and facilities. This includes additional funding in science and engineering, in subjects that support the NHS, and in degree apprenticeships. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the higher education (HE) sector in over a decade to support students and improve teaching. The Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey showed that the number of graduate start-ups increased by 5% (from 4,528 in 2020/21 to 4,735 in 2021/22), which is the highest annual figure in the survey's history. The National Careers Service also provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice, and guidance on careers, skills, and the Labour Market in England. The service provides support to individuals studying STEM subjects in HE, and helps industry sectors to disseminate key information and updates. Students and taxpayers invest tens of thousands of pounds in HE. This must lead to good quality qualifications, which equip students with the skills they need to achieve their potential.

Pupils: Assistive Technology

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the technical capacity of schools to deliver digital support for children with (a) visual and (b) hearing impairment.

David Johnston: All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services for disabled children to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. To teach a class of pupils with sensory impairments, a teacher is required to hold the relevant mandatory qualification, which is the Mandatory Qualification in Sensory Impairment (MQSI). Teachers working in an advisory role to support these pupils should also hold the appropriate qualification. The MQSI provides sensory impairment teachers with the specialist expertise needed to ensure that pupils with a visual or hearing impairment are supported effectively, including the use of assistive technology and specialist equipment. The department commissioned an assistive technology rapid literature review which evaluated studies of assistive technology use with students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The report concluded that assistive technology is under-utilised and, alongside other recommendations, recommended developing assistive technology training courses for educators. The department also runs a biennial technology in schools survey to capture up-to-date data on the current state, use and spread of technology within primary and secondary schools in England. Findings from the first survey will be published in 2023. Following the promising results of a pilot training programme to increase mainstream school staff confidence using assistive technology, the government extended training to capture more detailed data on the impact on teachers and learners. The department will publish the impact report in May 2024.

Teachers: Recruitment

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made for her policies of difficulties experienced by schools in attracting teachers to take up leadership roles.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help schools improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers.

David Johnston: There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.The Department has put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £28,000 tax free and scholarships worth £30,000 tax free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. The Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle, which incentivises candidates to take teacher training in hard to recruit subjects, is worth up to £196 million, which is an increase of 15 million on the last cycle.Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality. To support retention, the Department is funding a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the Department will be providing around £100 million each year to double the rates of the Levelling Up Premium to up to £6,000 after tax.On 13 July, the Department announced that it is accepting the School Teachers Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools received a pay award of 6.5%, which is the highest pay award for teachers in over 30 years. This delivers the Government’s manifesto commitment for school teachers in all regions of the country to have a starting salary of at least £30,000.The Department has also launched a new and updated suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders at all levels, designed for those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts. Four leadership NPQs are available to help boost leaders’ existing knowledge and confidence as they progress into more senior roles. This includes an NPQ in Headship (NPQH), Executive Leadership (NPQEL), Senior Leadership (NPQSL) and Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL). An Early Headship Coaching offer (EHCO) is also available to professionals who are new to the role of headship.The qualifications are part of a wider set of teacher development reforms. These qualifications sit alongside the support, training and development which is available through the entirety of a teacher’s career.

Schools: Bus Services

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help families with the cost of school bus fares in (a) Bournemouth East constituency and (b) the South West.

David Johnston: The Department’s school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education due to a lack of transport. Local Authorities must arrange free home to school travel for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low income families. Most central Government funding for home to school travel is made available to Local Authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) administered by the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). DLUHC will bring forward proposals for the LGFS 2024/25 in the usual way later in the year. Local Government spending will be carefully considered to ensure councils can continue to deliver vital services. The Department provides grant funding to Local Authorities as a contribution towards the cost of extended rights travel for children from low income families. This is just under £45.8 million in the 2023/23 financial year. The Department will shortly be calculating Local Authorities’ allocations of this grant for 2024/25. Fares and concessions on public transport are set by transport operators and it is for them to decide whether and how to implement any concessions for children travelling to school. The Government is offering support to help people with costs such as childcare, bills and transport. The Government’s dedicated website provides more information about cost of living support, which is available at: https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/.

Theatre: Children

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of (a) all children, (b) children educated in state schools and (c) children educated in private schools who have attended a live theatre performance by the end of (i) primary and (ii) secondary education.

David Johnston: The Department does not collect data on the number or proportion of children who have attended live theatre by the end of primary and secondary education. Arts subjects, including drama, are an important part of a pupil’s school experience, with drama forming part of the National Curriculum for English. As set out in the programmes of study for Key Stages 1 to 3, pupils should gain knowledge, skills and understanding of the artistic practice of drama and should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles. They should also have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances. Teachers will use their professional judgement as to how and when such opportunities are created. In addition, all pupils taking GCSE drama or an A level in drama and theatre studies are entitled to experience live theatre. This entitlement reaffirms the Government’s commitment to providing pupils with an enriching arts education. Pupils should not be limited to watching a DVD or a peer performance; they should have the opportunity to sit in the audience and experience a live performance.

Schools: Attendance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of school attendance in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of school attendance by (a) pupils who receive free school meals and (b) other pupils.

David Johnston: Improving attendance remains a priority for the Department. The Department is implementing a comprehensive attendance strategy, to ensure that absence is minimised and rates are returned to pre pandemic levels as soon as possible.Absence data from the School Census is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england.Data showing the overall absence rate in England and Gloucestershire in the combined autumn and spring terms from 2018/19 to 2022/23 is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e7082d1-d935-476b-48d8-08dbdfb23d99.Data showing the overall absence rates for pupils with Free School Meals and those not eligible is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/26b94e77-f63c-4287-48d9-08dbdfb23d99.

Pupils: Health

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to issue updated guidance to schools on supporting pupils with medical conditions.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that every school pupil with a medical condition has an individual healthcare plan.

David Johnston: Current guidance is clear that governing bodies should ensure that a school’s policy covers individual healthcare plans, and who is responsible for their development, to support pupils at school with medical conditions. The governing body should also ensure that plans are reviewed at least annually, or earlier if evidence is presented that the child’s needs have changed. Healthcare plans should be developed with the child’s best interests in mind; they should be developed to ensure that the school assesses and manages risks to the child’s education, health and social wellbeing, as well as ensuring that disruption is minimised.In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, which was published in March 2023 in response to the Green Paper, the department outlined its ambition to build a consistent national SEND and AP system that enables children, young people, and their families to access the support they need consistently.The consultation on the Green Paper received a very small number of specific responses related to medical conditions in schools. The department will factor these into further policy development and will consider updating the statutory guidance when making decisions on wider reforms.

Students: Housing

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the (a) cost and (b) availability of student accommodation.

Robert Halfon: Student accommodation is a busy part of the housing market. As universities and landlords are private and autonomous bodies the government has no role in the provision of student accommodation, nor a remit to intervene in how it is allocated.The department expects universities and private landlords to review their accommodation policies to ensure that they are fair, clear, and have the interests of students at heart. This includes making accommodation available at a range of affordable price points.Since 2006, the interests of students have been protected by three government-sponsored accommodation Codes of Practice, so that if a student believes their accommodation provider is treating them unfairly, they can raise a complaint under the relevant code of practice.

Special Educational Needs: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

David Johnston: The department is committed to ensuring that children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) get the support they need wherever they live.​The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan outlines the government’s mission to create a single, national SEND and AP system; the proposal to develop National Standards is a fundamental part of this. The Standards will set out what support should be available and who is responsible for providing it to give families confidence and clarity on how the needs of children and young people will be met. These Standards will apply nationally, including London.​The SEND and AP Improvement Plan also sets out proposals to improve the Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan assessment and planning process, by introducing standardised forms and processes, as well as supporting guidance to provide greater consistency.In addition, the department’s Delivering Better Value programme aims to improve outcomes for children and young people and put the SEND system on a more sustainable footing by funding high needs system transformation in up to 55 local authorities, including the London Borough of Enfield, with significant Dedicated Schools Grant deficits. It does so by providing diagnostic support to the local authority, identifying opportunities to improve services and meeting children’s needs better, and then grant funding the local authority’s plan.​Furthermore, high needs funding to support children and young people with complex SEND is rising to £10.1 billion in the 2023/24 financial year, which is an increase of over 50% compared to 2019/20. Of this, the London Borough of Enfield’s high needs funding allocation for 2023/24 is £76 million, which is an 11.5% per head increase compared to the amount of high needs funding allocated in the 2022/23 financial year.

Children: Social Services

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by Become entitled Gone Too Far, published in April 2023, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policies of the proportion of local authorities that do not have a published sufficiency plan for children's social care.

David Johnston: Local authorities have a statutory duty set out in Section 22(3) of the Children’s Act 1989 to make sure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of children in their care. Ofsted currently inspect local authorities’ children’s services and how they are meeting their range of statutory duties. The department recognises that there are not enough of the right homes in the right places for children in care. The department wants to reduce out of area placements, but in some circumstances, it is the right decision for a child to be placed outside their home authority. This Government is working to drive forward improvements at a national, regional, and local level to increase sufficiency and improve standards of care and regulations. By 2027, there will be an increase in the availability of high-quality, stable, and loving homes for every child in care, close to where they are from. To achieve this, the department is supporting local authorities to increase care placements and ensure they meet children’s needs. The department has allocated £259 million of capital funding for secure and open children’s homes and over £27 million to deliver a fostering recruitment and retention programme. In the longer-term, Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) will plan, commission and deliver children’s social care placements. Through operating on a larger scale and developing specialist capabilities, the RCCs will be able to develop a wide range of places to better meet children’s needs. This, in turn, should lead to improved placement stability and fewer out of area placements. The department is investing in two pathfinders to test the RCC model in collaboration with local authorities.

Childcare: Special Educational Needs

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help people undertake training in childcare for children with special educational needs over the age of five.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of school aged childcare provision in England for Special Educational Needs children.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the level of demand for staff who are qualified to provide childcare for children over the age of five with special educational needs.

David Johnston: Local authorities have a legal duty to report annually on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare for children aged up to 14, and up to 18 for disabled children. Local authority reports should include specific reference to how each local authority is meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), including how any gaps in provision will be addressed. The report should be made available to parents.Where adequate childcare provision is not available, parents have the right to request a wraparound or holiday childcare place for their child. Local authorities also have a statutory duty under the Children and Families Act 2014 to maintain a local offer which provides clear, comprehensive, accessible, and up-to-date information about support and services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).The department recognises the importance of good quality and inclusive school-aged childcare that supports working parents and carers. The government is investing £289 million in a new wraparound childcare programme to support local authorities and providers in England to introduce or expand childcare provision for primary school-aged children, as part of the largest ever investment in childcare. The programme aims to deliver provision that is child-centred, easily accessible and responds to the needs of the families, including those of children with SEND. Local authorities and childcare providers should recognise the different needs of children who will be accessing childcare and ensure that new and existing provision is accessible to all, including children with complex needs and those in specialist school settings.The department does not hold data on the demand for staff who are qualified to provide childcare for children over the age of five with SEN. However, as part of the national wraparound programme, local authorities have the flexibility to use some of the funding provided to pay for training for wraparound staff, including specialist training for staff to ensure they feel equipped to support children with SEND.

Children: Care Homes

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 12 September 2023 to Question 196441 on Children: Social Services, how the £259 million capital funding for residential children’s homes will be allocated.

David Johnston: The 2021 Spending Review (SR) announced £259 million over the 2021 SR period to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes. Following this announcement, the department launched several waves of bidding rounds for local authorities to submit applications for this funding for both open and secure children’s homes. A total of £80 million has been allocated to open children’s homes over two bidding rounds. The remaining £179 million is being allocated to secure children’s homes over two bidding rounds. This includes funding the development of two new Secure Children’s Homes in London and the West Midlands and a rebuild of an existing Secure Children’s Home in Lincolnshire, as well as a number of smaller projects to improve sufficiency in existing secure homes. The department is currently in the process of allocating further funds over the remaining SR period for existing secure homes following the conclusion of a review of the secure estate.

Qualifications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the most (a) studied and (b) achieved qualifications were for people in employment in the latest period for which data is available.

Robert Halfon: The Labour Force Survey reports the highest level of qualification achieved by those in the workforce. The data can be accessed from the Office for National Statistics’ portal, Nomis, which is available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/.However, information is not readily available in a form that allows the department to answer this question comprehensively or without incurring disproportionate cost.

Apprentices: Taxation

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider the potential merits of using the apprenticeship levy to fund training in skill shortages identified by the Migration Advisory Committee.

Robert Halfon: The government is supporting employers of all sizes and in all sectors, to use high-quality apprenticeships to build the skilled workforces they need, now and in the future.Employers can access over 680 employer-designed apprenticeship standards, including in occupations which feature in the shortage occupation list, such as Level 2 Bricklayer, Level 3 Laboratory Technician, and Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker.The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and has removed the limit on the number of apprentices that small and medium-sized enterprises can recruit, supporting more employers of all sizes to grow their businesses with the skilled apprentices they need.Employers can also continue to benefit from a range of other high-quality government funded skills programmes to recruit new talent or train current staff, including to help address skills shortages identified by the Migration Advisory Committee, such as through Skills Bootcamps in retrofitting.

Apprentices: Taxation

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider the potential merits of increasing the apprenticeship levy transfer ceiling to 35%.

Robert Halfon: The department is supporting employers to make greater use of their levy and has improved the transfer system to make it easier to find other employers who wish to take on apprentices with transferred funds. Levy transfers are a great way for employers to transfer their funds to other employers in their supply chains, including small employers, flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities to help meet local or sector-specific needs.Levy-paying employers have been able to transfer 25% of their annual funds since April 2019, when this was increased from 10%, and have been able to use an online service since 2021 to make the process easier.Since the new service launched in September 2021, we have seen 418 employers, including ASDA, HomeServe and BT Group, pledge to transfer over £28 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes as of 9 June 2023.Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can also access funding directly from the apprenticeships budget. The department is working to remove unnecessary barriers, making it simpler and quicker for them to set up an apprenticeship service account, to access funding and to support them to take on their first apprentice. The department has also removed the limit of 10 apprentices a year that SMEs can take on, enabling them to take on as many skilled apprentices as they need.

Apprentices

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the 100 per cent funding for small businesses taking on an apprentice younger than 19 to include medium-sized businesses.

Robert Halfon: The department recognises the important role that small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities, particularly for younger people and those in disadvantaged areas.The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. This funding will support apprenticeships in all employers, including SMEs where we continue to pay at least 95% of their training costs.The department currently funds 100% of the training and assessment cost for apprentices aged 16-18 who are employed by businesses with fewer than 50 employees. We think it is right that we target this additional financial support at the smallest employers with limited capacity to support young apprentices.The department recognises that employers of all sizes may need additional support to take on younger apprentices and we continue to provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19. Employers are also not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to 25.In addition, the department is supporting SMEs to take on as many skilled apprentices as they need. We have removed the limit of funding 10 apprentices a year in SMEs, and we have made it easier for SMEs to register to take on an apprentice.

Universities: Mental Health Services

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 203270 on Universities: Mental Health Services, how many and what proportion of Higher Education leaders received the letter on mental health services from the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education on 5 June 2023.

Robert Halfon: On 5 June 2023, the department wrote to the accountable officers at every higher education (HE) provider registered with the Office for Students, asking them to prioritise mental health at an executive level. 417 HE providers were registered at that time.In this letter, a target was set for all universities to join the University Mental Health Charter Programme by September 2024. Providers who do not have degree-awarding powers are not eligible but can still follow the Charter’s principles. In addition, there is an Association of Colleges Mental Health & Wellbeing Charter for colleges.

Higher Technical Qualifications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to study Higher Technical Qualifications there were in each of the last 12 months.

Robert Halfon: Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) were taught for the first time in September 2022. A HTQ will usually take one to two years to complete.The department does not collect data on the number of HTQ applicants. We do collect data on course enrolment, which is published as part of the Higher Level Learners in England official statistic. The data for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in May 2024.

Pupils: Autism

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase support for autistic (a) children and (b) young adults in the education system.

David Johnston: In the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, the department set out its vision to improve mainstream education through setting standards for early and accurate identification of need and timely access to support to meet those with SEND. The standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings, who is responsible for securing the support and from which budgets. This will give children and young people confidence and clarity on how their needs will be met. The department will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND, including autism, so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment. In the immediate term, the system is being supported to deliver change and improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including autism, by investing:A further £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists across the 2024 and 2025 academic years to increase the capacity of specialists.£2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to fund new special and AP places and improve existing provision, including announcing 41 new special free schools, with a further 38 special free schools currently in the pipeline.£18 million between 2022 and 2025 to double the capacity of the Supported Internships Programme. In addition, up to a further £3 million has been invested to pilot extending Supported Internships to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities without Education, Health and Care plans.£30 million to develop innovative approaches for short breaks for children, young people, and their families over three years.An additional £6 million to fund extension of the AP Specialist Taskforce pilot programme (delivering now in 22 local authorities), to run until 2025.Funding for up to 7,000 early years staff to gain an accredited Level 3 Early Years Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) qualification to support the development of the early years workforce.To help frontline professionals better support the needs of autistic children and young people in their settings, the department’s Universal Services contract offers autism awareness training and resources for the school and further education workforce. This aligns with the all-age autism strategy and its ambition to improve autistic children and young people’s access to education and support positive transitions into adulthood. Over 100,000 professionals have undertaken autism awareness training as part of a train the trainer model since the Universal Services programme launched in 2022.Additionally, new practitioner standards are being developed to further help education staff support children and young people with SEND. The first three practitioner standards, including one on autism, will be published by the end of 2025.

T-levels

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for how many and what proportion of T-Levels the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education have published progression routes.

Robert Halfon: The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education have published progression profiles for all 18 T Levels that are currently in delivery. The last of these was published on 22 September for Agriculture, Land Management and Production. The professional profiles are available at: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/qualifications/t-levels/t-level-progression-profiles/#:~:text=IfATE%20has%20worked%20with%20employers,and%20its%20associated%20occupational%20standards.

T-levels: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students started T-Level courses in Feltham and Heston constituency in the (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 academic year.

Robert Halfon: I refer the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston to the answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 232.

Treasury

Orchestras: Tax Allowances

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Orchestra Tax Relief announced in the Spring Budget 2023 on the economic sustainability of orchestras.

Nigel Huddleston: Orchestras are a crucial part of the UK arts sector. That is why at Spring Budget 2023, the government went further to support orchestras by announcing a 2-year extension to the current 45% (for non-touring productions) and 50% (for touring productions) rates of orchestra tax relief (OTR). From April 2024, qualifying expenditure for OTR will be that incurred on goods and services used or consumed in the UK. To qualify, 10% of expenditure on a production must be incurred on goods or services that are used or consumed in the UK. This is a significant decrease from the current requirement for 25% of expenditure to be incurred on goods or services in the UK or EEA. The government expects this will support companies in adjusting to the new rules.

Arts: Tax Allowances

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the cultural tax reliefs beyond 31 March 2025.

Nigel Huddleston: The government recognises the value of the UK’s world-leading creative industries and arts sectors. The ‘cultural tax reliefs’ consist of theatre tax relief (TTR), orchestra tax relief (OTR) and museums and galleries exhibitions tax relief (MGETR). There is no end date for the TTR or OTR. MGETR will end on 1 April 2026. The sunset clause for MGETR was extended to this date at Spring Budget 2023, to enable museums and galleries to benefit from the extension of the 40% (for non-touring productions) and 45% (for touring productions) rates of the cultural reliefs. However, the Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.

Agriculture: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett consequentials for Northern Ireland are of the Farming Innovation Programme's support for innovations in the countryside.

Laura Trott: The Farming Innovation Programme is being funded from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ existing budgets set at Spending Review 2021. As there are no changes to UK Government departmental funding associated with the Farming Innovation Programme, there are no further Barnett consequentials on top of the Spending Review settlement in line with the normal application of the Barnett formula. The Northern Ireland Executive received a record settlement at Spending Review 2021. On top of this record settlement, the Northern Ireland Executive also benefit from nearly£1 billion of ringfenced UK Government funding for agricultural projects in Northern Ireland throughout the Spending Review 2021 period.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how each Barnett consequential due to the Northern Ireland Executive was accrued in the period since 1 April 2023; when each was accrued; and what the value of each consequential was.

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the Northern Ireland Executive's overspend in the financial year 2022-23.

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how much remains in the Northern Ireland Executive's 2022-23 financial year overspend following the deduction of Barnett consequentials.

Laura Trott: The UK Government provided £297 million of non-ringfenced RDEL funding to the Northern Ireland Executive at Supplementary Estimates 2022-23 to ensure the delivery of a balanced budget. In the absence of an Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set a budget for 2023-24 via Written Ministerial Statement on 27 April 2023. This included flexibility on the repayment of the 2022-23 overspend. The Northern Ireland Executive received £17 million non-ringfenced RDEL and £13 million general CDEL in Barnett consequentials at Mains Estimates 2023-24. Any further Barnett consequentials will be confirmed if UK Government departmental budgets change at subsequent fiscal events. A more detailed breakdown of Barnett funding can be found in the Block Grant Transparency publication. Block Grant Transparency: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/block-grant-transparency-july-2023

Research: Tax Allowances

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the levels of (a) fraud and (b) error in the amount of tax relief provided as part of the Government’s R&D tax relief schemes between 2022 and 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: The latest error and fraud estimates for the Corporation Tax Research and Development relief schemes were published in HMRC’s Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Counter Disinformation Unit

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy of the work of the Counter Disinformation Unit and (b) impact of that work on freedom of speech.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU), now called the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT), is focused exclusively on risks to national security and public safety. Preserving freedom of expression is an extremely important principle underpinning the team’s work. The Government believes that people must be allowed to discuss and debate issues freely. The NSOIT does not monitor the social media accounts of individuals and does not take any action that could impact anyone’s ability to discuss and debate issues freely. When the NSOIT identifies content which is within one of the areas of focus ministers have agreed, is assessed to pose a risk to national security or public safety and which is assessed to breach the terms and conditions of the relevant platform it may share that content with the platform. No action is mandated by the Government, it is entirely up to the platform to determine whether or not to take any action in line with their terms of service. Under no circumstances is content from Parliamentarians or journalists ever referred to platforms. Ministers continue to keep the work of the NSOIT under review and the approach to sharing any content with platforms.

Semiconductors: Infrastructure

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 23 October to Question 203232 on Semiconductors: Infrastructure, what progress her Department has made on the UK Semiconductor Infrastructure Initiative feasibility study.

Sir John Whittingdale: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 23 October to Question 203232, the study is being conducted by a consortium of industry and academic partners led by the Institute for Manufacturing at Cambridge University. The Department has worked closely with the consortium and they are expected to report back by the end of the year.  The study has consulted extensively across the sector and workshops have been held in all four nations of the UK to determine a holistic picture of the UK’s capabilities and the needs of industry.

Universities: Equality

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) collect information on the Gender Equality Plans in UK Universities; and how many full-time equivalent officials work on policies arising from the policy paper entitled Research and development people and culture strategy, published on 22 July 2021.

Andrew Griffith: Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) are an eligibility criterion for any organisation applying to any part of Horizon Europe funding. Responsibility for the establishment, monitoring and data collection of GEPs, is a matter for UK Universities and for the European Commission. Policies from the R&D People & Culture Strategy since its launch over two years ago span many areas of my Department, therefore it is not possible to give an exact number for the full-time equivalent officials working on this endeavour.

Space

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the national space programmes in (a) the UK, (b) USA, (c) China, (d) France, (e) Japan, (f) Russia, (g) India, and (h) Germany.

Andrew Griffith: The Department considers the national programmes of partner countries when developing policy and programmes in space as part of a range of evidence sources.

Horizon Europe

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, to which department funding returned to the UK under the terms of the clawback mechanism of the UK Horizon Europe association agreement will be returned.

Andrew Griffith: As set out in the Explanatory Memorandum relating to the UK’s association to Horizon Europe and Copernicus, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/em-on-ukeu-horizon-governance-document-com23527, any deductions resulting from the clawback mechanism will form part of future UK contributions to the Horizon Europe budget or its successor programme. These contributions to the Horizon Europe budget will be paid by DSIT and will be accounted for in DSIT’s accounts. The Government has committed to investing £20bn in R&D in 2024/2025.

Voice over Internet Protocol: Disability and Older People

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of migrating households from the public switched telephone network to the Digital Voice service on (a) the elderly and (b) people with disabilities.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government recognises the importance of both fixed (landlines) and the mobile telephone network in the UK. We expect the telecoms industry to ensure that all consumers, particularly the most vulnerable including the elderly and people with disabilities, are protected and prepared for the upgrade of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). DSIT receives regular updates from telecoms providers about the progress of their migration and any emerging challenges they face. Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process, which includes protecting vulnerable consumers. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline and provide them with additional support. DSIT meets regularly with Communications Providers to monitor their migration process, and to ensure adequate provisions are in place to protect vulnerable consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, quarterly progress meetings with individual providers, quarterly meetings with all government departments/agencies, and monthly meetings with Ofcom.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Marine Management Organisation: Conditions of Employment

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Civil Service employees from core departments retained continuity of employment for contractual purposes when they transferred from working for their previous department to work for the Marine Management Organisation in 2009.

Mark Spencer: Continuous statutory service would be transferred as per the protocols. However, Defra does not keep information on staff who have transferred under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)/ Cabinet Office Statement of Practice. All data becomes owned by the organisation that the work moves to, as the staff are theirs as if they had always been their staff.

Marine Management Organisation: Secondment

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, under which staff-transfer protocol employees of core civil service Departments were transferred to the Marine Management Organisation in 2009; and whether this protocol has been applied to other employee transfers.

Mark Spencer: Defra follows the correct protocols for each staff transfer as set out in the Statement of Practice.

Pets: Theft

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains her policy to bring forward legislative proposals to make the abduction of (a) cats and (b) other pets a criminal offence.

Robbie Moore: We would be supportive of legislation on pet abduction when parliamentary time allows. We have listened carefully to views expressed on the pet abduction measures during the passage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill including adding cats. We will take this feedback into consideration when delivering this measure.

Squirrels: Pest Control

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking steps to control the number of grey squirrels; whether she is using technology to (a) assess and (b) control the numbers of grey squirrels; and whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government on implementing a UK-wide strategy on the control of grey squirrels.

Robbie Moore: The management of grey squirrel populations is a devolved matter. In England, Defra is committed to doing more to tackle the impact of grey squirrels by updating the Grey Squirrel Action Plan. The Grey Squirrel Management Action Plan for Wales and the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project include similar management objectives. A refreshed GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy was published this year, setting out the high-level vision and key actions for invasive species management in England, Scotland, and Wales. The Forestry Commission works informally with colleagues in Natural Resources Wales and Welsh government to facilitate a common approach where possible. Defra contributes funding to innovative fertility control research led by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the UK Squirrel Accord, a UK-wide partnership that includes the Welsh and Scottish governments as well as Defra. If successful, this novel management method will complement the actions set out at the level of individual governments, such as maintaining the grey squirrel eradication that partners have carried out on Anglesey.

Sugar Beet: Prices

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) British Sugar and (b) the National Farmers Union on the 2024/25 sugar beet price negotiations.

Mark Spencer: Defra has had discussion with all parties. The Government recognises the importance of sugar beet farmers and their vital contribution to UK sugar production. We are committed to promoting fairness across the food supply chain, with risk and reward being properly shared. That includes seeing a price agreed for sugar beet that benefits both growers and processors, in the context of the global market. There is a well-established process in place to agree the sugar beet price; designed to be independent between both parties, with Government only acting as final arbitrator at the end of the process should no agreement be reached. It is very important that all parties involved now continue to follow that process and reach a mutually acceptable outcome.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: Pesticides

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department had with the Department for Business and Trade during the negotiation of accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and what assessment her Department has made of the (a) implications for her policies and (b) potential impact on exports of differing standards of pesticide use in states party to that Agreement.

Mark Spencer: The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for Business and Trade (DBT) officials worked closely together to deliver the successful negotiation of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The Impact Assessment relating to the UK’s accession to the CPTPP agreement is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cptpp-impact-assessment. It sets out the Government’s assessment of the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the agreement. The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) will also produce a report by 30 November on whether the UK’s accession to the CPTPP agreement is consistent with the maintenance of statutory protections in relation to animal and plant health and life, animal welfare and the environment. Informed by the TAC’s conclusions and advice from the Food Standard Agency and Food Standards Scotland, the Government will then lay its own report under section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020. Finally, the Hon. Member asks about the potential impact on exports to the UK of differing standards of pesticide use in states party to the CPTPP Agreement. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. Decisions on these standards will remain a matter for the UK and will be made separately from any trade agreements.  Nothing in the CPTPP agreement creates new permissions for imports. All agri-food products must comply with the UK’s import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market.

Food: Labelling

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare, published by her Department in August 2022, whether she plans to take steps to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce labelling for animal welfare.

Mark Spencer: Defra’s Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare gathered data on the impacts of different types of labelling reforms. Based on the information gathered, we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers. We will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of a wide range of market interventions, as well as how they could align with wider labelling proposals such as eco-labelling.

Animal Welfare

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's planned timescale is for bringing forward legislative measures from the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

Mark Spencer: We are introducing the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill in this parliamentary session to deliver our manifesto commitment to end this trade. The Bill will ban the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury caused by exporting live animals. We remain dedicated to delivering our other manifesto commitments that were in the Bill. These are: to crack down on the smuggling of puppies, and to ban the keeping of primates as pets. We have already consulted on primate keeping standards and will bring forward legislation before the end of the year. We also look forward to progressing the non-manifesto measures which will deliver a new offence of pet abduction, update legislation to tackle livestock worrying, and raise standards in zoos. We would be supportive of single issue legislation when Parliamentary time allows. We believe this to be the quickest and most effective way of achieving these aims.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Private Rented Housing: Insulation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help support private sector tenants whose landlords object to their requests for home insulation.

Lee Rowley: We encourage all households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes where they can. Furthermore, in relation to the current PRS MEES Regulations, tenants already may request their landlord’s consent to make energy efficiency improvements at their own expense and the landlord has a duty not to unreasonably refuse a request.To help households afford improvement of energy measures, including insulation, we are providing taxpayer subsidy of £6 billion this Parliament and a further £6 billion to 2028 on making buildings cleaner and warmer. That is in addition to the £5 billion that will be delivered through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme up to March 26. We have supported households with up to half their energy costs last winter and continue to support the most vulnerable through the Warm Home Discount, which is £150 to 3 million households.

Shared Ownership Schemes: Rents

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on home-owners whose shared ownership rent increases are not capped by the voluntary rent cap.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will bring forward proposals to make the voluntary rent cap scheme in shared ownership arrangements mandatory.

Lee Rowley: Most registered providers of social housing chose to limit voluntarily annual rent increases for their shared owners in 2023-24 to no more than 7%. Though the department was clear in its discussions with the sector that we expected them to take reasonable and responsible decisions at a time when many shared owners were facing pressures on their finances, we recognise that the decision to engage in this voluntary arrangement was one for individual providers to take independently. Rent increases for shared owners will continue to be based on the terms of their lease agreements with their providers.

Infrastructure Levy

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps with (a) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (b) other Cabinet colleagues to amend the National Planning Policy Framework to include regulations for a new infrastructure levy to ensure the provision of adequate (i) GP and (ii) dental provision in new housing developments.

Lee Rowley: The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act introduces powers to create the new Infrastructure Levy which aims to generate more funding for infrastructure, such as GP surgeries, to mitigate the impacts of new development.The Act includes provisions to require local authorities to prepare Infrastructure Delivery Strategies which will set out the strategy for delivering infrastructure and spending Levy proceeds. The Act also enables authorities to require the assistance of infrastructure providers, including Integrated Care Bodies, in devising these strategies and development plans.We have committed to consult further on the design of the Levy, before we draft regulations.

Homelessness: Refugees

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide financial support to refugees facing homelessness after leaving asylum accommodation.

Felicity Buchan: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.The Home Office can set out details of their support, but this Government has made the unprecedented commitment to end rough sleeping within this Parliament and to fully enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act. In September 2022, we published our new cross-government strategy ‘Ending Rough Sleeping for Good’, setting out how we are investing £2 billion over the three years to accelerate these efforts.

Housing: Standards

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will expedite the publication of the (a) technical consultation and (b) impact assessment on the proposed specification for the Future Homes Standard.

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the publication of the Future Homes Standard technical consultation on the number of new homes that will be built.

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to publish the (a) technical consultation and (b) impact assessment on the proposed specification for the Future Homes Standard.

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the publication of the Future Homes Standard technical consultation on the number of new homes that will be built.

Lee Rowley: We remain committed to bringing the Future Homes Standard into force in 2025 as planned and will publish a full technical consultation this year.A full impact assessment on the Future Homes Standard will be carried out ahead of implementation and published online.  The impact assessment will consider any housing viability impacts as a result of this policy. Government's intention is to publish a draft impact assessment alongside the consultation in 2023.

Local Government Finance: Audit

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of (a) trends in the number of professionals who are qualified to audit local authority accounts in England and (b) the potential impact of those trends on the sustainability of local government finances.

Simon Hoare: The Chartered Institute of Public Accountancy has been contracted to develop a qualification designed to bridge the gap between corporate and local audit qualifications, widening the pool of auditors. The first cohort for the course is expected to be enrolled in early 2024.The Financial Reporting Council is making progress on work on a local audit Workforce Strategy. Initial recommendations for short to medium term measures will be presented to the Local Audit Liaison Committee in December; after that the Financial Reporting Council will update the Public Accounts Committee directly.

Council Tax: Valuation

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of re-evaluating the use of 1991 house prices for council tax calculations.

Simon Hoare: The Government have no plans to undertake a revaluation of domestic properties.

Department for Transport

Highway Code

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of the January 2022 changes to The Highway Code.

Anthony Browne: The January 2022 changes to The Highway Code to help improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding have been communicated via:An awareness-raising campaign in February and March 2022, alerting road users to the changes as they came into effect. Further information can be found here: www.think.gov.uk/campaign/highway-code-changes/ .A follow-up campaign in summer 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Further information can be found here: www.think.gov.uk/campaign/travel-like-you-know-them/. As a result, the percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the Highway Code changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to 58% in August 2022, with 83% of road users having heard of the changes by August 2022.

Cycling and Walking: Urban Areas

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made against its target of 50% of journeys in towns and cities to be walked and cycled by 2030.

Anthony Browne: The Government’s latest walking and cycling statistics, published in August 2023, show that in 2022 the proportion of short local journeys made by active travel in towns and cities was 46%.

Bicycles and Electric Vehicles

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) micro-mobility, (b) shared bike and (c) e-bike schemes on (i) levels of active travel, (ii) air quality and (iii) emissions.

Anthony Browne: The National E-scooter Evaluation found that by December 2021 rental e-scooter journeys mostly replaced walking journeys (42%), followed by private motor vehicles or taxis (21%). However, the proportion of walking journeys being replaced reduced over time, while the proportion of private motor vehicle or taxi journeys being replaced increased over time.One of the potential benefits of using an e-scooter instead of driving is that it may reduce emissions and improve air quality. The National E-scooter Evaluation estimated a total reduction of between 269 and 348 tonnes of CO2e (to December 2021) across the five case study areas due to modal shift from cars to rental e-scooters.The Department has made no assessment on the potential impact of shared bike or e-bike schemes on the levels of active travel, air quality or emissions.

Active Travel: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of active travel funding on (a) the number of journeys undertaken (i) on foot or (ii) by bike, (b) air quality in towns and cities, (c) overall carbon emissions and (d) the transition to net-zero.

Anthony Browne: This Government has done more than any other to support walking and cycling and over the course of this Parliament will be investing over £3 billion in active travel from a wide range of funding streams. The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy report to Parliament in July 2022. The Department will provide an updated assessment in its next report to Parliament in due course which will be published alongside the third statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3). The carbon savings from active travel make up a relatively small percentage of the total projected carbon savings outlined in the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan. As such, the impact of changes to active travel funding on the ability of the government to meet its overall climate change targets is likely to be small. We will continue to monitor progress, and will adapt and take further action if needed to decarbonise transport in line with our carbon budgets and 2050 net zero target.Active travel schemes can also play an important role in improving air quality, but this will vary from one area to another and the impacts will also depend on the extent to which active travel journeys replace journeys made by other modes, particularly the private car.

Bus Services: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Departments news story entitled Major £150 million funding boost for local bus services as fare cap set to be extended, published on 23 October 2023, whether the £150 million of redirected HS2 funding (a) previously formed and (b) now forms part of his Department's (i) capital or (ii) resource budget.

Guy Opperman: The £150m is new funding that is in addition to the £1.1 billion for BSIPs announced in 2022 and 2023, as well as the £300 million to protect and enhance bus services through Bus Service Operators Grant plus (BSOG+) and Bus Services Improvement Plan plus (BSIP+) announced in May this year.The £150m will form part of the department’s Resource budget in the 24/25 financial year.

Leamside Line

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on reopening the Leamside line.

Huw Merriman: The re-opening of the Leamside Line is a Transport North East led programme and my officials are supporting them as they develop their business case.The Government has committed £1.8 billion of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS 2) investment in the North East from 2027 to 2032, which includes additional funding only possible due to the billions of pounds redirected from HS2 via Network North, giving the locally elected mayor the means to spend on the priorities they determine are right for the parts of the country they represent, rather than taking all decisions in Westminster. This commitment will empower them to fund the projects that matter most to their communities including, if they choose, funding the re-opening of the Leamside Line.

Railways: Costs

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a comparative estimate of the cost of the railway industry in (a) England and (b) other European countries.

Huw Merriman: The Office of Rail and Road publish annual statistics on rail industry finances (including sources of income and expenditure) by country and network rail region:Table 7216 – GB Rail Industry Finances since 2015-16 by country And NR Region | ORR Data Portal In 2021-22 total expenditure on the operation of rail services in England was £20.9 billion. This was split by Network Rail expenditure (£9.5 billion) and franchised train operators (£11.4 billion). The Department has not made comparisons with rail costs in other countries. However, some expenditure on rolling stock and railway infrastructure information is collected by Eurostat:Statistics | Eurostat (europa.eu)

Railways: Industrial Disputes

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers on finding a resolution to industrial action on the railways since December 2022.

Huw Merriman: The Department has supported negotiations by facilitating discussions between trade unions and the employers, being represented by the Rail Delivery Group. On 8 November, the RMT agreed to put the Rail Delivery Group’s offer to its members which would see the current strike mandate removed. The Government welcomes this development and remains committed to resolving industrial disputes and ensuring the railways are reformed.

Railways: Fares

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a comparative estimate of the average cost of railway travel for consumers in (a) England and (b) other European countries.

Huw Merriman: England has one of widest ranges of fare prices in Europe, including some fare types that are among the cheapest – particularly when booked in advance.Following last year’s biggest ever Government intervention to cap rail fare increases well below inflation, we will continue to protect passengers from cost of living pressures and we will not increase next year’s rail fares by as much as the July RPI figure (which was 9 per cent). As in 2021, 2022 and 2023, we have also temporarily delayed the fares increase, enabling passengers to purchase tickets at last year’s prices throughout January and February 2024.

Railway Stations: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the potential impact on passenger revenue of staffing unstaffed stations.

Huw Merriman: We are not aware of any proposals to staff stations that currently operate without staffing.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had his Italian counterpart on First Trenitalia's operation and part-ownership of the West Coast Partnership rail franchise.

Huw Merriman: No such discussions have taken place.

Railways: Passengers

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to publish the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook.

Huw Merriman: The Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook is owned by the Passenger Demand Forecasting Council, of which the Department is a member. As per the Passenger Demand Forecasting Scheme rules only members and associate members of the scheme are granted a licence to the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook.

Thameslink Line: Standards

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to problems involving line infrastructure in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to driver illness in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to drivers not being available in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Huw Merriman: In the most recent full period available, 17 September 2023 to 14 October 2023, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operated 25,973 Thameslink services. GTR report that 4.4 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew issues, within which 0.9 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew sickness. 1 per cent of services were cancelled as a result of line infrastructure issues and one service was cancelled due to adverse weather. Services in this period were affected by industrial action, which led to a higher than normal number of cancellations.

Cars: Exhaust Emissions

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to move the ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 to 2035 on air pollution (a) in major cities and (b) across England.

Huw Merriman: The Department has not completed any assessment on the air quality impact of the decision to delay the end of sale date for new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 to 2035. The Government has however laid the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes Order 2023 before the Houses of Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd Cymru on 16th October (which implements the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate across Great Britain).The ZEV mandate is Government biggest carbon reduction measure and will significantly reduce air pollutant emissions as set out in the cost benefit analysis published by the Department. The Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes Order 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

Ticket Offices: Closures

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) total, (b) resource and (c) staffing cost to the public purse for the (i) total work, (ii) impact assessments and (iii) discussions with (A) transport watchdogs and (B) rail operators undertaken by his Department to scrutinise the proposals by train operating companies to close ticket offices.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the time spent by staff in his Department on the (a) delivery of impact assessments and (b) wider scrutiny of consultations on proposals to close ticket offices since 5 July 2023.

Huw Merriman: This was an industry led consultation.

High Speed 2 Line

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimate was for the (a) cost for the acquisition of properties and (b) number of properties needed to be acquired for the delivery of HS2 Phase One in (i) February 2017 and (ii) the most recent period for which data is available.

Huw Merriman: The estimate for the cost for the acquisition of properties for the delivery of Phase One of HS2 in February 2017 was £4,402m (excl. contingency) at March 2015 prices (1Q15). It is not practicable to provide an estimate for the number of properties that have been acquired for the delivery of Phase One; it is land parcels that are required for delivery and so that is what is recorded. There is 68.7km² of land within Phase One Act limits. As of 31st October 2023, 49.6km² has been permanently acquired and 8.9km² has been taken temporarily. HS2 Ltd has served all notices required for the compulsory acquisition of land for the construction and operation of Phase One of the railway and no further land needs to be acquired. Some additional properties may be acquired if the property owners submit a successful application to one of the HS2 property schemes.

Rolling Stock: North East

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20 February 2023 to Question 142779 on Rolling Stock: North East, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of potential rolling stock production gaps on (a) employment and (b) local economies in the North East.

Huw Merriman: The department keeps the impacts of the domestic market for rolling stock on UK manufacturers under regular review and works closely with rolling stock companies and train operators to understand when new trains are required. However, passenger trains are major assets with a lifetime of 35-40 years and there will naturally be peaks and troughs in the procurement cycle. As the market for rolling stock is a competitive one, there can be no guarantee of orders for individual manufacturers, and they will need to factor these into their own business planning decisions.

High Speed 2 Line

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the construction of the HS2 station at Old Oak Common on the mainline services from south Wales to London terminals.

Huw Merriman: Construction of the Old Oak Common conventional station will involve a number of partial and complete closures of the Great Western Main Line during the period up to 2030 which will impact passenger services and freight operations. My department is working with Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and the train operating companies to minimise the impacts of disruption and ensure the continued operation of rail services between south Wales and London.

Thameslink Line: Access

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase accessibility for disabled passengers on the Thameslink line.

Huw Merriman: All train operators have Accessible Travel Policies and are required to undertake diversity impact assessment on all projects or initiatives that may impact disabled passengers. In terms of rolling stock, the Class 700 trains that operate on Thameslink are compliant with modern accessibility standards. Finally, Network Rail are currently undertaking a programme to install platform edge safety tactile paving at all stations in Great Britain. This includes all Thameslink stations and work is planned to be completed in 2025.

Thameslink Line: Safety

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of safety for disabled passengers on Thameslink; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Merriman: Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is required to comply with its Accessible Travel Policy to support its disabled passengers which is regulated by the Office of Rail and Road. GTR’s rail enforcement, safety and station teams are also required to adhere to safety legislation to ensure the safety of all its passengers, including through working with Network Rail and the British Transport Police.

Railways: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been budgeted for consultants in cost estimates for the Plymouth to Tavistock rail extension.

Huw Merriman: The Network North announcement included a commitment to delivering the Tavistock to Plymouth rail link, subject to satisfactory business cases. The Department has reviewed the scheme’s Strategic Outline Business Case and is working with Network Rail, industry and local authorities on the development of a programme on next steps. Discussions on cost estimates and their composition are yet to take place.

Cabinet Office

Veterans: Advisory Services

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much government funding was allocated to delivery of the Veterans' Gateway in (a) 2019, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021, (e) 2022 and (f) 2023.

Johnny Mercer: The Veterans' Gateway is a first point of contact for UK armed forces veterans, and their families, providing veterans with support, including across housing, employment, finances and their wellbeing. The service has historically been operated by a consortium of members of the charitable sector, backed by £2.75 million from the Government. Earlier this year it was announced that we have launched a refresh of the Veterans’ Gateway, with the service to be run by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, at the heart of government, next year.

Civil Servants: STEM Subjects

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's news story entitled Civil Service Fast Stream exceeds target to boost STEM expertise across Government published on 25 October 2023, what proportion of Fast Stream hires in the 2023 recruitment campaign had a STEM degree qualification; and of those, what proportion held degrees in (a) science, (b) technology, (c) engineering and (d) maths.

Alex Burghart: Over 50% of Fast Stream hires in the 2023 recruitment campaign had a STEM degree qualification.Our STEM categorisation is based on subject groups provided by the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA). Therefore it is not possible to break hires down by (a) science, (b) technology, (c) engineering and (d) maths; as we do not collect or analyse the data in this way.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Peter Gibson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to tackle conversion practices affecting LGBT people.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether it remains her policy to ban conversion therapy.

Stuart Andrew: No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Biofuels

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the policy paper entitled Biomass Strategy 2023, published on 10 August 2023, when she plans to publish the updated UK and Global Bioenergy Resource Model.

Graham Stuart: The Government is currently commissioning an independent peer review of the model, and following this, the Government plans to publish the model as soon as practicable.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many miners were recipients of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (a) in Easington constituency and (b) nationally in October 2023.

Graham Stuart: As of 30 June 2023, there were 119,651 members in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, including 3,563 in Easington constituency. These are the most recent figures available.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many miners' widows were recipients of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (a) in Easington constituency and (b) nationally in October 2023.

Graham Stuart: As of 30 June 2023, there were 23,974 spouse/dependant pensioners in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme. It is unclear how many of these are widows and the Government does not have the equivalent figure for the constituency. These are the most recent figures available.

Carbon Budgets

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Government plans to lay before Parliament an updated Carbon Budget Delivery Plan.

Graham Stuart: The Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, published in March, sets out the proposals and policies that enable carbon budgets 4, 5 and 6 to be met. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State keeps under review the UK's progress towards net zero. The Government has exceeded every carbon budget to date and is confident in its ability to meet its targets and net zero by 2050.

Fuel Poverty: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of care recipients who are in fuel poverty in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Amanda Solloway: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero do not hold the data for the number and proportion of care recipients that are in fuel poverty in the Enfield North Constituency, the London Borough of Enfield or London. The latest sub regional fuel poverty statistics show that we consider 12.8% (5,471) of households to be in fuel poverty in the constituency of Enfield North, 13.8% (17,591) in the London Borough of Enfield and 11.9% (431,366) in London. Sub regional fuel poverty statistics for England can be found through: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2023-2021-data

Energy: Debts

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps is her Department is taking to support customers with rising levels of energy consumer debt.

Amanda Solloway: The Government recognises the challenges posed by the impact of high energy bills and debt and is already providing extensive financial support to households. The Government provided nearly £40 billion to protect households and businesses from spiralling energy bills over last winter. Ofgem recently announced new customer service standards to help support those who maybe struggling with their bills this winter, including requirements on suppliers to: contact customers if they miss payments, offer support such as affordable payment plans if they are struggling, prioritise vulnerable customers and offer free contact methods for people struggling to pay their bills.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has had recent discussions with energy companies on the impact of reduced network coverage for smart meters on the ability of people to install domestic electric vehicle chargers.

Amanda Solloway: Direct Communications Company (DCC) Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage for smart meters has no impact on the ability of energy consumers to install electric vehicle charging points at their properties.

Energy: Debts

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of people in debt to their energy supplier.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem’s licence conditions require energy suppliers to support consumers at risk of or in energy debt. Citizens Advice and energy companies have jointly launched a campaign called, ‘Speak, Seek and Save’ to support consumers struggling to afford their energy bills. To get assistance, customers should first contact their energy supplier, and the supplier should create suitable payment plans based on the customer’s ability to pay. Additionally, the government's 'Breathing Space' program offers support to consumers in debt by giving them legal protections from creditors for 60 days. Customers in debt can apply to a debt adviser for a breathing space.

Energy: Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions her Department has had with energy suppliers on ensuring that disabled households are supported with the cost of energy.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions her Department has had with charities that support disabled people with energy costs.

Amanda Solloway: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have had numerous discussions with a variety of stakeholders, including energy suppliers and charitable organisations, on this very important issue.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the Warm Home Discount in line with the increases to the Ofgem price cap.

Amanda Solloway: From winter 2022 the Government extended and expanded the Warm Home Discount to support more households in fuel poverty, by increasing the spending envelope from £350m to £475m (in 2020 prices) and also raising the rebate to £150. This winter, we expect over 3 million households to receive the increased rebate. As the scheme is funded by participating energy suppliers, we have struck a balance between supporting as many households as possible, providing meaningful support, and limiting the impact on wider consumer bills.

Energy: Social Tariffs

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will provide a new social energy tariff for (a) low income households and (b) households with energy-intensive medical equipment.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is continually reviewing the financial support it provides for the differing energy needs within its communities and prioritising support for the most vulnerable. The Help for Households campaign includes numerous cost-of-living support schemes in 2023/2024, such as the Winter Fuel Payment, Warm Home Discount, Disability Cost of Living Payment and the Cost-of-Living Payment for those on means tested benefits which has increased from £650 in 2022/2023 to £900 in 2023/2024. The Energy Price Guarantee was introduced in October 2022 to protect millions of households from the rising high cost of energy. The outlook for energy prices has improved significantly since last year’s Autumn Statement, with the Ofgem price cap falling 55% since its peak earlier this year, which is good news for households who have seen their energy prices fall.

Energy: Consumers

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Powering Up Britain: Energy Security Plan, published in March 2023, when she plans to consult on options for a new approach to consumer protection.

Amanda Solloway: As set out in Powering Up Britain: Energy Security Plan, we are exploring the best approach to consumer protection, as part of wider retail market reforms. The government continues to monitor the situation and will keep options under review, including with respect to the most vulnerable households.

Department for Business and Trade

Ukraine: Foreign Investment

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance her Department issues to (a) private companies and (b) UK-based investors on (i) engaging and (ii) investing in Ukraine.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Providing guidance to supporting businesses to play a key role in supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery is a high Government priority.This year we launched a Guide to Doing Business with Ukraine, to support UK business and investors working in Ukraine and encourage greater trade flows.We support businesses to engage in Ukraine via multiple fora including the UK-Ukraine Infrastructure Taskforce.We are supporting investors through addressing a lack of available insurance, contributing £20m to the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and on 31 October signing a Statement of Intent on a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development war-risk insurance scheme for Ukraine.

Public Houses: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the number of pubs that have closed in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in each of the last five years.

Kevin Hollinrake: The latest ONS data[1] (as of 09 November 2023) shows the overall number of public houses and bars in Enfield North, Enfield and London for each of the last 5 years (Table 1). Table 1: Number of Public House and Bar Local Units, 2019 – 2023 DateEnfield NorthEnfieldLondon201915402,215202015452,245202115452,225202215452,265202315402,255 Business closures (VAT de-registrations) are not available at this level of industrial and geographical detail. However, the Insolvency Service[2] do publish monthly data on the total number of insolvencies in the food and beverage services sector in England and Wales from 2019 to 2022 (Table 2). DateFood and beverage service activities insolvencies 20192,15020201,54220211,54220222,523 [1] ONS Business counts via NOMIS. Data relates to SIC 56.302 – Public houses and bars.[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-insolvency-statistics-september-2023

Attorney General

Twitter: Prosecutions

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Attorney General, how many people were prosecuted for offences relating to posts made on X in each year for which records exist.

Michael Tomlinson: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold data on the number of people prosecuted for offences relating to social media posts. This information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

TikTok: Prosecutions

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Attorney General, how many people were prosecuted for offences relating to posts made on TikTok for in each year for which records exist.

Michael Tomlinson: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold data on the number of people prosecuted for offences relating to social media posts. This information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Facebook: Prosecutions

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Attorney General, how many people were prosecuted for offences relating to posts made on Facebook in each year for which records exist.

Michael Tomlinson: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold data on the number of people prosecuted for offences relating to social media posts. This information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine; and what guidance his Department has issued on the additional protection provided by additional doses and any related health implications.

Maria Caulfield: The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, namely hospitalisation and death, arising from COVID-19. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended a targeted approach to COVID-19 vaccination focussed on those most vulnerable from COVID-19, including older individuals and individuals with specified existing clinical conditions.On 8 August 2023, the Government accepted advice from the JCVI on who should be offered a COVID-19 vaccine in the autumn 2023 booster programme. This includes residents in a care home for older adults, all adults aged 65 years old and over, persons aged six months to 64 years old in a clinical risk group, frontline health and social care workers, persons aged 12 to 64 years old who are household contacts and persons aged 16 to 64 years old who are carers. For the autumn 2023 campaign, the JCVI have advised the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA monovalent XBB vaccine for use in individuals from six months old and the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) bivalent Original/Omicron BA.4-5 vaccine for use in individuals aged 12 years old and over. All individuals who are currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccination are therefore eligible to receive a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. There are no plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the autumn campaign. The JCVI will continue to review evidence and will provide further advice regarding future vaccination programmes in due course.The JCVI has advised that further vaccination doses provide additional protection from serious outcomes from COVID-19. Whilst natural immunity alone provides good levels of protection against severe COVID-19, the combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity, also known as hybrid immunity, is associated with even higher levels of protection.

Coronavirus

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UKHSA Advisory Board: finance report, updated on 17 July 2023, on what date he expects the 2024/25 budget settlement for Covid-19 to be confirmed.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency’s COVID-19 budget envelope for 2022/23 to 2024/25 was agreed as part of the Spending Review 2021, at a total of £2,947 million. The COVID-19 budget for financial year 2024/25 will be formally confirmed as part of the Main Estimates, the standard Government annual budgeting process, in the first quarter of 2024.

Educational Institutions: Mental Health Services

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health support teams are in operation in schools and colleges as of 7 November 2023.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number children who are able to access mental health support at their secondary school or college.

Maria Caulfield: Latest data from the Department for Education, published in May 2023, shows that there are around 400 mental health support teams in operation in schools and colleges. These cover an estimated 3.4 million children, which is approximately 35% of pupils. This includes primary schools, secondary schools, and further education colleges. Nationally there are on average 8,500 pupils and 17 schools and colleges per mental health support team. We estimate that around 500 teams will be operational, covering 44% of pupils by April 2024, and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. This data is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/646248cf427e41000cb437ab/Transforming_CYPMH_implementation_programme__data_release_May_2023.pdf Mental health support teams work alongside existing wider pastoral and other support in and around educational settings. Schools and colleges are best placed to decide what support to provide to respond to the social, emotional, and mental health needs of their pupils. This can include the provision of school-based mental health professionals such as counsellors and working with external providers and, where necessary, specialist services within the National Health Service.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an urgent assessment of the adequacy of the operation of the telemedicine abortion policy.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that telemedicine abortion providers are not able to supply abortion drugs to people over the legal limit for that procedure.

Maria Caulfield: We have no plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of this policy’s operation.Parliament decides the circumstances under which abortion is permitted. It would be for Parliament to decide whether to change the law on abortion. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure abortions are only performed in accordance with the legal requirements set down by Parliament in the 1967 Abortion Act.Home use of early medical abortion pills is permitted if the pregnancy has not exceeded 10 weeks gestation at the time the first medicine in the course is administered. If there is any uncertainty about the gestation of the pregnancy, the woman should attend an in-person appointment. If she does not attend in-person, the doctor would not be able to form an opinion in good faith that the pregnancy is below 10 weeks gestation and therefore would not be able to prescribe abortion pills for home use.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that women accessing telemedicine for early medical abortions are not being (a) coerced and (b) otherwise pressured into that procedure.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training is required for NHS medical staff working in abortion provision to help ensure that they (a) can identify potential pressure and coercion and (b) understand its impact on informed consent.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that vulnerable women are protected from (a) coercion and (b) other pressure to have an abortion.

Maria Caulfield: Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.

Bipolar Disorder: Diagnosis

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the time taken to diagnose people with bipolar disorder.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services by March 2024, enabling an extra two million people, including people with bipolar disorder, to be treated by mental health services within the National Health Service.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are also expanding community mental health services. This includes new integrated community models for adults with severe mental illness including bipolar disorder. These new models are still in the early stages, and will take time to embed nationally, but will give at least 370,000 adults greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities by March 2024.The Department also provided an additional £500 million in 2021/22 to accelerate our expansion plans and help address waiting times for mental health services. The NHS is also working towards implementing five new waiting time standards for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community, to ensure timely access to the most appropriate, high-quality support.

Surrogacy

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report by the Law Commission entitled Building Families Through Surrogacy: A New Law, published on 29 March 2023; and whether it is his policy to reform surrogacy laws.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is considering the reforms about surrogacy contained in the Law Commission report, Building Families Through Surrogacy, and will publish a Government response in due course. Ministers wrote to the Law Commission on 8 November 2023 to confirm that we would not be bringing forward legislation in this parliament.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Prize Money: Regulation

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 70 of her Department's High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age white paper published on April 2023, what progress her Department has made on undertaking a consultation into potential regulation for large prize draw competitions.

Stuart Andrew: In recent weeks, I have met with the largest prize draw operators in the industry, in line with the gambling white paper's commitment to look at prize draws. The department has also commissioned independent researchers to gather evidence about the size and nature of the prize draw sector, including its role in charity funding, risks and player protection and understanding. The research consists of an AI-powered web scrape, together with industry surveys and operator engagement. The research will conclude in January and will inform a consultation on potential regulation in due course.

Lotteries: Licensing

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered making changes to the existing requirements for (a) full and (b) remote ancillary licences for society lotteries in the context of increases in the use of handheld electronic devices in recruiting subscribers.

Stuart Andrew: I am aware of this issue, which was raised with me when I met with representatives of the Lotteries Council on 23 May.Section 4 of the Gambling Act 2005 states that where a telephone (or other forms of electronic communication) are used to participate in gambling, it will be treated as remote gambling.Under the Gambling Act all operators that offer remote gambling are required to hold a remote operating licence. This means that if a lottery sells tickets face to face and remotely by telephone or online it will need two licences. The holder of a non-remote lottery operating (society) licence pays an annual fee of only £50 for an ancillary licence, if its remote proceeds in that year do not exceed £250,000. Annual fees for standalone remote licences range from £400 to £796 depending on proceeds.I therefore have no current plans to amend the society lottery licensing arrangements in the Gambling Act.

Orchestras: Tax Allowances

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the levels of Orchestra Tax Relief.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Secretary of State has regular conversations with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a number of issues, including creative tax reliefs.As announced at the Spring Budget earlier this year, His Majesty’s Government has extended the current headline rates of Orchestra Tax Relief. The rates for Orchestra Tax Relief will remain at 50% for expenditure taking place from 1 April 2023, reducing to 35% from 1 April 2025 and returning to 25% from 1 April 2026. As of August 2023, £75 million has been paid out relating to 740 claims. This represents 2,940 productions.

Musicians: Census

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Musician's Union publication entitled 'Musicians' Census', published on 11 September 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government is committed to maximising the potential of the UK music industry and its musicians.We continue to regularly engage with industry and organisations, including the Musicians Union, to understand the challenges facing musicians, including those identified in the ‘Musicians’ Census’.The Government has taken action to address these challenges, by supporting growth in the sector and creating more opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to pursue a career in music.This includes working with the Department for Business and Trade to support UK musicians to successfully export to international markets through initiatives such as the International Showcase Fund and the Music Export Growth Scheme. Additionally, we are committed to protecting creatives through our world-leading copyright and intellectual property laws, and the Government is also establishing an industry working group to discuss issues around creator remuneration.We are also taking action to support young talent to pursue a career in music. In June 2021 we published the National Plan for Music Education, setting out ambitions to increase music opportunities for all children and young people, regardless of circumstance and needs. Grassroots venues are also vital to supporting the talent pipeline, which is why we committed to providing an additional £5 million of funding to support grassroots music venues over two years.